Next generation wireless communication system architecture must be able to provide an array of services comparable to wire-line services. One such service envisioned for the next generation Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) architecture is multicasting. By definition, multicasting is a method which provides the delivery of information to multiple destinations without transmitting the same information content to each destination separately.
Typically, multicasting generates a great deal of traffic in a network. More particularly, large amounts of traffic are generated because each individual involved in a multicast session passes uplink information through the network. The magnitude of traffic is directly related to the amount of data that is transmitted through the network. Thus it is beneficial for a communication system to transmit as little as possible in order to reduce the network congestion. Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for channel assignment in a wireless communication system that minimizes network traffic.